Tips for a Stress-Free Multigenerational Family Holiday

March 6, 2018

Family staycations are becoming more and more popular in recent years, particularly multigenerational holidays where grandparents come along too. However, it can get a bit stressful with more people than usual, and you won’t want a clash of characters ruining the family time. The best places for multigenerational holidays is in self-catering accommodation, such as our Wales caravans for sale, as more grown-ups can lighten the load.

With multi-gen holidays on the rise, we have put together some top tips to keep in mind to help you stay stress-free on an exciting family holiday to North Wales!

• Don’t spend all your time together, or make everyone join in with every activity. This can give you a break from in-laws and gives you a chance to do your own thing. Try doing something together in the morning, have a quiet spell in the afternoon, and then enjoy dinner together in the evening, or have grandparents babysit while you go out to eat.

• Plan must-do activities in advance, setting aside specific days for them. This could be going to the top of Snowdon on the heritage train or visiting the beautiful Bodnant Garden. Planning gives the whole family a chance to do at least one thing they want and stops too many quarrels from arising when you are on holiday.

• Don’t assume the holiday will be harmonious, with past arguments being laid to rest. However, keep things low-key by having “together apart” accommodation, such as two caravans next to each other. This will give you space to be on your own, and could also help with sleeping routines.

• Organise who will cook and organise packed lunches, and rotate it the chores, so no-one is always left washing up. If you spread the jobs around, everyone will feel happier about having to do them!

• Be a bit more lenient in childcare – you are on holiday! Give the kids a few more treats (maybe not ice cream EVERY day), let them stay up a bit longer and enjoy the extra help you will have to take care of them!

• Having grandparents on holiday means parents can take a step back; let them share their knowledge of games and activities they did when they were younger. This could be skimming stones, identifying wildlife and sharing stories of their own adventures.

• Have entertainment for chill-days ready. You don’t want to always be up and about on holiday, even with all the exciting things to do in North Wales! Enjoy a few lazy mornings or evenings of not doing anything, but have entertainment ready that everyone can get involved with. Board games or card games are a great option, as are colouring-in books.

• Consider getting the grandparents a thank you gift if they paid towards the holiday or helped out with a lot of the babysitting; it’s a small way of showing them how grateful you are for their help.

Do you have any top tips for having a memorable and stress-free holiday with the whole family? Let us know via social media!